Unless otherwise indicated herein, the details in this section are not prior art to the claims in this application and are not admitted to be prior art by inclusion in this section.
Firearm suppressors are sometimes referred to as “silencers.” The term “silencer,” however, while being partially accurate, does not explain or identify the various functions of a well-manufactured and well-used suppressor. In particular, a suppressor functions to not only suppress an audible signature of a firearm, but also to suppress the muzzle flash and other visible signatures of firearms. As such, suppressors can be used to allow firearm use without personal hearing protection by a shooter. In military applications, suppressors can reduce detectability, thereby allowing soldiers or other entities to discharge firearms without revealing their location. Soldiers also may use suppressors to discharge firearms without compromising their ability to hear other sounds in their environment.
Because suppressors can allow shooters to discharge firearms without personal hearing protection, and may reduce the muzzle flash and other visible effects of firearm discharge, suppressors have become popular accessories with shooters. In fact, some shooters wish to acquire a suppressor for each owned firearm after firing a suppressed firearm due to the reduced sound and flash of a firearm discharge. In general, suppressors can make shooting more enjoyable.
The benefits of suppressors, however, are not limited to comfort and enjoyment. Suppressors also can be used for personal defense, military applications, hunting, and the like. In particular, because adrenaline-inducing events can result in visual distortion such as tunnel vision, depth perception issues, and the like, which may pose personal safety risks, some firearm owners equip personal defense firearms with suppressors to reduce the likelihood of such issues in a violent encounter. For military applications, suppressors can aid soldiers in stealthily attacking targets with firearms by reducing the detectability of the firearms visually and audibly.
For these and other reasons, suppressors have become popular accessories for firearm owners and users. Suppressors, however, are expensive to make and therefore are expensive to own. Additionally, the regulatory framework around suppressor manufacturing and ownership combine with the high cost of manufacturing to result in limited suppressor ownership and availability. In general, suppressors function by dissipating high pressure gases between the muzzle and an ambient environment. As such, the greater the dissipation of these gases, the more effective the suppressor.
In certain situations, however, the use of a suppressor may be impractical or inadvisable. In particular, an automatic firearm generally cannot be operated with a suppressor, since the heat and pressure generated during full automatic fire can exceed the survivable temperatures and/or pressures for the suppressor. Removing the suppressor from a firearm, however, can require tools, lubricants, or the like, as the suppressor and firearm sometimes are stuck together by powder residue, or the like, or because expansion and contraction of the suppressor and/or firearm during operation can lock the suppressor in place. Thus, it may be difficult to remove a suppressor from a firearm, which can be a serious problem in some military, law enforcement, and/or sporting scenarios.